Iowa State athletes caught in a gambling sting last year were criminally charged and lost NCAA eligibility as a result of improper searches into their online wagering activities, according to defense attorneys’ court filings.

Attorneys for former Iowa State football players Isaiah Lee and Jirehl Brock and wrestler Paniro Johnson wrote in motions for discovery last week that special agents for the state Division of Criminal Investigation had no reasonable cause to track their clients’ use of sports wagering apps.

“These investigations were done without any tips of wrongdoing, allegations of wrongdoing, or by requesting a warrant which raises Constitutional issues involving illegal searches and seizures,” Van Plumb, attorney for Lee, wrote in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday. “Motions have been filed with the Court setting forth this information in an attempt to gain access to more discovery surrounding these events.”